LCS: Why Eliminating the Spring Split Makes the League Stronger

The LCS is reportedly preparing to eliminate the Spring Split starting in 2021 and that might have some big benefits.

2. Opportunities for Rookies

One of the downsides of two shorter seasons is that every game matters. Like the NFL, the LCS had a schedule where teams played under 20 games per “season”, making each win or loss matter astronomically to that team’s fortunes. Now that the splits are merging into just one season and more games are being added, losing individual games matters far less to a team’s standings.

In addition, a longer schedule also means that the margin for making playoffs and playoff seeding will be decided much earlier. While this is not so great for the competitive meaning of some games at the end of the season, it opens up the possibility of a practice that many teams in professional sports utilize but LCS teams are a bit more hesitant to do: sacrificing games to get exposure for young players.

This would be like in those last months of the MLB season, where teams that are eliminated from the playoffs will call up rookies to play. On the flip side, teams that have already clinched playoffs and locked their seed will rest their starting players to prevent injury, playing more prospects.

While the prevent injury reasoning isn’t as big for the LCS teams, having the opportunity to reduce burnout by letting starting players rest towards the end of the season could be beneficial. A bigger advantage, in my opinion, is that teams would also have the opportunity to let starting players take games or even full weeks off to relax without risking a huge hit to their standings.

Ultimately, that benefits the starting players who have more opportunities to sit and watch their team play, rather than go through the stress of playing themselves, which often allows them to view the game from a different perspective. Many professional sports players acknowledge that having time to watch their team play without them often gives them a better idea of what issues they and their teammates are having because they can watch and react in that moment.

However, this is also great for young players, who will get some actual stage experience (COVID permitting) with the regular team. This will improve their development by letting these young players see how pros practice, experience the process of an LCS gameday, and perhaps light a fire once they see what they are working towards.